From Start-Up to Grown-Up #87: How Daniel Yanisse Scaled Checkr to $700M+ and Overcame the Post-Hypergrowth Crisis
In this episode of From Start-Up to Grown-Up, host Alisa Cohn sits down with Daniel Yanisse, co-founder and CEO of Checkr, to discuss the exhilarating rise and the challenges of sustaining a high-growth company. Checkr revolutionized the background check industry, scaling from a $1M revenue run rate in just three months to processing millions of background checks annually. But with hypergrowth came intense operational, cultural, and leadership challenges.
Daniel shares how he navigated:
- Hiring at hyperspeed—and why some employees quit on day one.
- The "hangover" after hypergrowth—losing key executives and investor pressure.
- How to hire and retain top executives—and avoid common leadership hiring mistakes.
- Revising a company mission to balance fairness and safety while scaling.
- The "Fly High, Fly Low" leadership approach—balancing strategy and deep operational insights.
This episode is packed with real-world lessons for founders, CEOs, and startup leaders facing the challenges of rapid growth, leadership transitions, and market shifts.
🎧 Listen now and learn how to build and sustain a high-growth company.
Timestamps & Key Topics
00:00 – Introduction
02:30 – The Early Days of Checkr
06:20 – The Downside of Hypergrowth
08:45 – Facing Leadership Challenges & Executive Turnover
15:30 – Hiring and Managing Executives
21:00 – Redefining Checkr’s Mission: Fairness vs. Safety
28:00 – Leadership Lessons & Overcoming Challenges
39:00 – Confidence, Imposter Syndrome & Founder Loneliness
45:00 – Final Advice for Founders
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